Web Site Creation Tools

Up to this point, we've examined FrontPage's capability to create Web content, touching only slightly on the tools provided that assist in the Web Site design and maintenance process. You will find that FrontPage 2003 makes it very easy to create a Web site, provides templates, wizards, and packages to make the process even easier, lets you work with existing Web sites, and provides for a simpler Web site configuration process than you might expect.

Creating a Web Site

You can create a new FrontPage Web site through the same interface that you use to create a new page. The New task pane (seen in Figure 2.15) lets you create new pages or Web sites from scratch or from templates.

Figure 2.15. Choose between new pages or sites from scratch or from templates.

NOTE

Although the Web site templates in FrontPage 2003 are no different from those in FrontPage 2000 or 2002, new features discussed later add exciting new elements to the Web design process.

For more on creating a Web site with FrontPage 2003, see "Creating a Web Site," p. 251.

FrontPage's Web Templates, Wizards, and Packages

FrontPage comes with a number of Web (site and page) templates and wizards that will help you create a site or page from scratch. Although the content of these templates have not changed in this version, they still provide a quick way to develop a Web page or site.

New to FrontPage 2003 is the introduction of Web Packages collections of files that come together to provide new levels of site functionality and power. They integrate with Windows SharePoint Services to provide complete Web-based solutions that can be modified and updated with FrontPage 2003.

NOTE

You can only use Web Packages on a Windows SharePoint Services Web site.

Because they contain executable script and content that could be used maliciously, Web packages are digitally signed (a digital code attached to a file to identify the source of the file).

An existing SharePoint Team Services site can easily be exported to a FrontPage Web Package and transferred to another site through FrontPage 2003.

For more on the templates, wizards, and Web packages that come with FrontPage 2003, see "FrontPage's Web Templates, Wizards, and Packages," p. 267.

Opening and Working with Existing Web Sites

One of FrontPage's greatest strengths has always been the user's ability to open a site anywhere on the Internet and create (or edit) site content directly on the Web server (see Figure 2.16). This includes sites open to the public or sites under development that currently aren't available on your local network.

Figure 2.16. You can open a site directly in FrontPage 2003 and edit site content as if it were on your desktop.

TIP

Working live on a site for anything more than a simple or quick fix is seldom recommended because a mistake could quickly impact your entire site.

Previous to FrontPage 2003, this required a server with FrontPage Extensions installed and simply "didn't work" with any products that used other publishing methods such as the industry standard FTP. Now, FrontPage can work with external sites through multiple connection options including FTP, WebDAV, or an internal file systems, as seen in Figure 2.17.

Figure 2.17. You are no longer limited to connecting to remote sites with FrontPage Server Extensions in FrontPage 2003.

For more on opening and working with an existing Web site, see "Opening and Working with Existing Web Sites," p. 283.

Publishing a FrontPage Web Site

As mentioned previously, you are no longer limited to publishing to sites with FrontPage Server Extensions installed. As seen in Figure 2.17, you now have multiple options for publishing your Web site.

In addition to multiple publishing options, FrontPage 2003 offers you the ability to optimize HTML at publishing time. Figure 2.18 shows the Optimize HTML tab of the Remote Web Site Properties dialog box.

Figure 2.18. You can optimize most elements of your site's code at publishing time.

By waiting until publishing time to optimize your code, you can benefit from a richer, more commented code base full of metadata useful to you but unnecessary to the end user.

For more on publishing FrontPage Web site and the different options provided with this new release, see "Publishing a FrontPage Web Site," p. 299.

For more on the HTML optimization options that are provided with FrontPage 2003, see "Optimizing FrontPage's HTML," p. 549.

Configuration and Administration of a Web Site

As with previous versions of FrontPage, you can configure servers with FrontPage Extensions directly through the FrontPage interface.

For more on the configuration and administration of your Web site, see "Security and Administration of a Web Site," p. 325.